Transcription factors with programmable DNA binding domains offer one potential approach toward creating an exogenous biological circuit in an endogenous system and creating designer proteins that bind to pre-determined DNA sequences or individual nucleic acids. Transcriptional activator-like (TAL) proteins have been recently demonstrated to have modular and predictable DNA binding domains, thereby allowing for the de novo creation of synthetic transcription factors that bind to DNA sequences of interest and, if desirable, allow a second domain present on the protein or polypeptide to perform an activity related to DNA. TAL proteins have been derived from the organism Xanthomonas. Provided herein, however, are Ralstonia proteins or polypeptides that function in a fashion similar to TAL proteins derived from Xanthomonas. The invention relates to polypeptides derived from Ralstonia amino acid sequences or amino acid sequences related thereto, nucleic acids encoding the same, compositions comprising the same, kits comprising the same, non-human transgenic animals comprising the same, and methods of using the same.